Stage 4: San Vigil to Falcade

Hurt locker day !  And hump day.  Day 4 is always nice to get done because it means you're more than halfway done.

So todays stage was 107km long and with 2600m of climbing.  Fun fun.  It started out with a neutralized descent, which means no passing (which is routinely ignored).  Always a dangerous time, but riding in the so-called A group is usually less sketchy (dangerous).  Once the short neutral (3 or 4k) was done, it was a slight uphill rolling ride to the base of the Grodnerjoch.  We were riding as a large pack, which is always tough, and always fast with very hard efforts up changes in grade.  Once we got to the climb proper, it settled into small groups, with our pack being about 20 riders.

At the top of the Grodnerjoch I caught up with a dude I rode a lot with last year, a guy from Vienna (his partner last year was one handed !).  I talked with him for a bit, and then started the descent.  Descents are supposed to be easy, but somehow I went way too hard downhill and by the time I got to the bottom I needed a rest.  The next climb was Passo Sella, but given I was cooked from the descent I had to go slow for a bit to recover.  After about 5 minutes of climbing the sella, I felt better.  (Normal people rest going down, suffer going up.  Somehow I managed to reverse this !).

This area of Italy is the most beautiful, the center of the Dolomites.  Impossible to beat, with little ski towns nestled in the valleys or on the passes.  Of course we were in full race mode, so had the opportunity to look around on the climbs up, but the descents were to quick to look around.

After the Sella downhill, which was quick but care was required due to patchy pavement it was on to Passo Fedaia, another gorgeous climb.  By this time I was permanently installed in the hurt locker.  But when your with a group, there is a big incentive to stay with it, because to be alone on the following flats is not nice.  I stayed with the group to the top, and the descent of Fedaia was crazy fast.  I hit 96.3 km/hr at one long steep straight stretch.  After we got to the base, it was a 15km slight downhill to the final 400m climb.

And guess who attacked again !  Jamie, of course.  I could see what he was going to do, and in my state I said "just go, but I am not". So off he went on the wheel of some spaniard, and about 15 seconds later I reconsidered and decided to go.  So off I went, with certainty in my mind that I would never catch him and probably blow up badly.  So a while later I caught two other riders, and Jamie was within yelling distance so I asked him in a pathetic voice to wait up.  And so he did (yay, partner).  And off we went.  As we caught the spanish rider that he had been riding behind, he pushed me past (yay, partner !).  It is amazing how a push will energize you.  By this time we were close to the finish and with another team hot on our heels we sprinted for the line.  Of course it makes zero sense to sprint for the line in a stage race, but the noodle was seriously short of oxygen by this time.

After getting to the hotel, I was happy to see there was no short climbs at any more of the stages. Downhill finishes, and some slight uphill finishes.

After all of that, we ended up 13th in masters for the day, still in 10th overall.

Stage 3: Brixen to San Vigil

Tough day again, but there are no easy ones.  A shorter stage, 85 km but
still got in 3000 meters of climbing.

Rode hard, and my wonderful partner decided to attack on the last 200m
climb.  Always fun after 2800m of climbing, but I had to go too, I suppose.
 The group was decimated, and we rolled in ahead of our group 7th in
masters for the day.

I definitely like the stages with either up or down.  Flats are just to
screwy with large packs or people not willing to work together.

Tomorrow is another 3000m day.

Day 2 report, from Jamie (Solden to Brixen)

Day 2 is in the jar. Solden, Germany to Brixen (Bressanone), Italy (125km).   

The forecast the night before was 80% chance of rain (not the best for a restful sleep), with a climb to the top

of the Timmelsjoch (2500m) the threat of freezing rain was enough to have me shivering in my booty covers. 

Serious hill climbing today (I guess everyday really).  Lots of vertical and breathtaking views coming down the

big mountain passes on the valleys below.

The stage starting out with only light rain and didn’t actually get any worse, a major bonus. In fact,

we had sun/heat as we climbed the 2nd pass (Jaufenpass). I managed to hang on to Wilf’s wheel to the top (barely)

to get some rest on the descent down into Brixen. Cobble stone streets, old bridges, stone architecture and

welcoming café’s and restaurants ruled this town. We walked around after re-fueling and took in some sights and shops.

Of course we indulged in Weiss Beer, pizza and kuchen (ice cream in a huge cone shaped bowl), very hungry these days.

That was the snack, moments before stumbling over to “Fink” for dinner on the patio.

Best meal of the trip so far! Vino, pasta, fish and steak…finished with a gelato obviously.  

I could go on about the food but this is a bike race!!

Back at the hotel and the eyes are getting heavy.  

Keep you posted and thanks for reading.

Day 2, Solden to Brixen

There was a lot of paranoia last night with respect to the weather forecast, and sure enough we woke up this morning and it was cold, raining, and windy.  So out came all the warm clothes, and we gave extra clothes to Tobias to give back to us at the top of the Timmelsjoch (1st climb of the day).

Two major climbs today, each about 1300m in elevation gained and other assorted climbs leading to a total of somewhere around 3000 meters (or 10,000 feet).  The first big day.

All in all the weather actually co-operated, and at no point did any of us get cold.  Jamie and I both suffered in silence and stayed together (more or less).  But we stayed pretty consistent all day.  We lost a bit of time, probably from stopping and putting on clothes or taking them off.  We probably didn't need to do that (put clothes on) but I wasn't willing to risk descending 1600 meters with frozen body (and worst of all, hands).  We ended up in 18th on the day, and 16th overall.  Or something like that.  Trevor and Geoff rolled in about 15 minutes later.

Brixen is an absolutely beautiful little town, and it has a great central square.  We ate at the finish (great food), then showered and had a massage, ate again, then walked around looking for a restaurant and ate again.  See a common theme here ?  I think I am probably burning about 4000 calories a day and eating about 8000 calories, and I am way to lazy to carry extra weight up all these climbs.

After dinner we had -- more food -- ice cream cone.   And as I am typing this, Jamie just came back to the room with Tiramisu.  He is a food PIGGY.

Transalps 2012, Stage 1

Last things first, the picture is of Jamie and I at the end of Stage 1.

Perfect weather this morning in Mittenwald.  No extra clothes, no undershirts, it is summer here (well, today it was).  

The race got off to the normal gangbusters start with a solid effort up the first 5 minute climb to shed riders (pack management).  We were in a second group on the ensuing flats and first descent, but the lead pack slowed down so we caught them.  After that it was slowish to the bottom of the big climb (the Kuhtai).  About 10 km from the Kuhtai Geoff Duyker, Trevor Linden and Mark Sherman rolled up, so it was great to see them.  We had been joking about Geoff and Trevor delivering us to the bottom of the Kuhtai, so after they caught us they went in front and escorted us to the Kuhtai.

Once on on the Kuhtai the fireworks started.  Normally people feel good and think they can keep up a ridiculous pace, which they rarely can.  Anyway, we got behind Mark Sherman's partner who was going gangbusters.  So we followed him, which was probably a bad idea, but it seemed like the thing to do.  After about 20 minutes, he blowed up, and we settled into something we thought was sustainable.  After about 1:20 of climbing, parts that were just BRUTALLY STEEP, we crested the top of the Kuhtai and started the long fun descent.  Jamie and I seem well matched, and everytime I started to feel tired he was looking like he was feeling tired too.  Time will tell in that department, and my plan is to give him more booze and fatten him up a bit.  (He is looking a little manorexic).

At some point on the descent off the Kuhtai, in a sharp corner I decided to show Jamie the "proper" way to take a sharp hairpin, so I was yapping as rounding the corner and promptly skidded on my front tire.  Luckily I rode out of it, and wasn't going very fast anyway, but chalk one up to stupidity.  A while after that someone passed us, we got on his wheel and followed him to the bottom.  A 30 km slog from there took us to the finish.  We ended up 13th in the masters division out of 200 teams or so.  The running joke is that anyone who beats you is a doper, so...

After the finish we waited a few minutes for Trevor and Geoff to show up, grabbed some food with Andy and Daniella (Andy is a guide from Mike Wiegele's heli skiing and Daniella works there as well).  Daniella is from Solden.  (We will pass her mom's house tomorrow !).

And now it is rest and relaxation and praying for the weather to behave itself tomorrow.  Tomorrow we go over the Timmelsjoch and the Jaufenpass.  Two very big climbs, and there are always big snowbanks on the Timmelsjoch.

Pre-race report from Jamie Armstrong (Friday, June 22nd)

By Jamie Armstrong:

The boys are sleeping...i'm wired and in the lobby of our hotel in the little town of Mittenwald, Germany. 
Energy and nerves are definitely wafting in the air....as well as beer and schnitzel!! The town is going bonkers (something to do with the Germans defeating Greece in the Euro match). 

We rode today in our brand spanky new kits...HELLO!! Feeling good, so hopefully this continues. 
The boys are ready to go, tomorrow race registration then we're riding to Garmisch for lunch...
Super humid and TL gave us his speel on understanding "tan line
management" today over cafe and kuchen. Chamois time was large today
(1.5 hrs in the saddle, 2 more hours outside the coffee shop! 
I'm a little concerned for my partner as he's only eating kuchen and
gaining weight by the spoonful!! :) 

Keep you posted boys, Wish you were all here...maybe some of you are
coming over to meet us at the top of the Kuhtai!!?? 

Back in Mittenwald, Germany for transalps 2012

Back for round 4 of tour transalps. You think I would learn !

I flew into Munich on Sunday, June 17th and have been lazing around Mittenwald. Rode to Telfs on monday, in that same vicinity on tuesday, and today (wednesday) rode up the north side of the Kuhtai. It was steep, but not too crazy (14% for long periods, which is twice as steep as cypress but it was manageable... and I wasn't tired). Like Cypress, Kuhtai is a ski resort, with the highest base elevation in austria.

I don't know who in their right mind would make a steep road up to a ski hill, but maybe they hoped it would never snow (!!??). We go over the Kuthai on sunday (first day of the race) but up from the east, and down the west side.

After I got back from my ride today, the Just Giver 4 Parkinsons Disease (JF4PD) crew showed up. I think there are 4 of them, including Kelly who was in a serious plane crash at the airport in Richmond a few months back. He broke pretty much everything breakable. Amazing that he is here.

I learned yesterday that a friend and fellow TNA rider, Mike Ryan, had to drop out. He hit a deer descending seymour a few weeks back, and he is still experiencing concussion like symptoms. We will miss you Mikey !!! (And strangely enough, Mike is the reason I am here ! I wasn't going to do it, but he signed up and I didn't want to miss the fun).

The photo is typical Bavarian architecture. All the buildings in Mittenwald (and Austria and northern Italy) look like this. And if you want to climb to the top of the mountain in the background ? Take the tram 95% of the way up and hike the last 5%. How civilized !!! (Unfortunately there is no tram to take me the 1400 vertical meters from the valley to the top of the Kuhtai. How uncivilized !).

Tomorrow my partner for the race, Jamie shows up. And two other vancouverites Trevor and Geoff. Three more days of taking it easy and then the fun begins (sunday).